For the second week in a row, the news media overall devoted more space to health care (19 percent) than to any other issue from July 27 to Aug. 2, the survey found — and that was while the debate was still largely confined to Congress and before the disruptions at town-hall meetings. The weekly survey examines the space devoted to various topics in 1,300 newspaper articles or stories in 55 different print, online, network television, cable television and radio outlets.

Health care occupied 30 percent of airtime on the radio (42 percent on ideological talk radio) and 32 percent on cable television (39 percent on prime time talk shows).

The subject occupied only 12 percent of the space in newspapers and of the time on network television and only 11 percent of the space on the Internet. For those three sectors, the economy was the dominant story, occupying 21 percent of the space in newspapers, 18 percent of the space online and 13 percent of time on the network news.

As the subject of health care rose in airtime on radio and cable, President Obama’s ability to control the debate appeared to be eroding, at least according to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll. The poll said that 69 percent of respondents were worried that the quality of their own health coverage would suffer if the government created a program that insured everyone.

Pew said that health care had “triggered the most intense partisan fight in Washington since the $787 billion stimulus package passed in mid-February.”

Healthcare is the most important issue facing us as far as our budget. If we don’t tackle this, we are going to be in deep trouble.

I am disturbed that Obama seems to be “unenthused” about presenting healthcare to the American people, and more disturbed to read in the NY Times article (“White House Affirms Deal on Drug Cost”) that Obama seems to be playing “footsie under the table” with Big Pharma!

Once again, the American taxpayers are going to shoulder huge costs because politicians — more interested in retaining big campaign donation dollars — are going to allow Big Pharma to charge prices for drugs far more than any other country has to pay for their drugs.

Does Obama REALLY want healthcare reform?

Obama, tell me again why I voted for you? And why I should vote for you in 2012?

As “Freedom Works” continues to attempt to encourage their 400,000 members nationwide to attend the Town Halls, they provide handbooks with instructions and suggestions for how to disrupt the meetings. They even offer bus service. What a sham. They are nothing but an organized political mob disguised as grass-roots citizenry.

For the life of me I do not understand why people dont take the time to review the bill which is 1000x better then what we currenly have. You loose your job in the current system, you have no health insurance. In the new system you will still have health insurance. If the bill is passed — and I hope it passed — it will not please everyone.
In these town hall they yell and shout at the representative and most of them probably on medicare or medicaid which is a goverment run entity which I am assuming is working pretty well for seniors. They should allow the representative to answer thier questions either it is good or bad that’s just being civil.

I don’t think the adminstration nor certain members of Congress understand the depth of concern and distrust a lot of people have about nationalized healthcare in this country.Many moderate Democrates and independants are not buying into it.

So trying to paper over these concerns by calling the people voicing their concerns “tools” of the insurance companies or worst yet Nazi’s shows the Adminstration and the Democractic Congress ..”doesn’t get it!”

There is no proposal for nationalized health care. The President has repeatedly stated — apparently you haven’t bothered to listen — that if you are satisfied with your current coverage then you will be able to keep it. You can keep your private sector insurance if that’s what you want, Jim.

He hopes for a public OPTION that will pressure insurance companies into lowering out-of-control health care costs. One out every six dollars spent in our economy is on health care. The nation can’t afford this, Jim.

Rush Limbaugh compared the President to Adolf Hitler on his radio show today. Who’s calling who a Nazi, Jim?

I have read your posts and never found them to be factually accurate. What I saw in Austin was uncivil behavior. If you wish to characterize it as frustration that is consistent with my impression of your integrity.

The sad part of many of the Town Halls held this week is that the imbeciles chanting “Just Say No” have no concern about healthcare, the stimulus, cap and trade, or any other issue. They are angered that an African-American won in 2008 and is residing at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. That is the only “No” they care about. The “I Want My Country Back” is being mouthed by attendees who will end up benefitting for healthcare reform. And, yes, there were attendees shown in a parking lot with signs emblazened with swastikas.

The overwhelming majority of the people want health care reform with the public option. I think it will pass despite the health care lobbies efforts to kill it. The media could be the heros here by exposing this but I don’t know if they’re willing to step up to the plate. My hunch is they are not, but time will tell.

Many of those protesting at the Democratic town hall meetings fall in at least one of the following categories:

They don’t have insurance because they cannot afford it.
They don’t have insurance because they lost their jobs.
They don’t have insurance because of pre-existing conditions.
They have limited insurance coverage.
Their premium is high, but they have no other choice.
They are already using government sponsored Medicare.

Despite the above, they are protesting.

Are they protesting because they don’t like an African American president or they are just pure ignorant?

I wish we could stop talking about Russ Limbaugh. He is an empty-suit, a gasbag who relishes the sounds of his own diatribes. A former pill addict with nothing to add to an intelligent debate.

I think as we dig deeper, it will become abundantly clear that this sham of a ‘public groundswell’ of outraged citizenry, is aided, abetted, organized, encouraged, and financed by the very same right wing conservative groups and lobbyists who want to disenfranchise the entire American public. They cannot win by honest debate and truth-telling. God forbid, they act intelligently and engage in civil discussion. No, not for them. This crowd is incapable of intelligent behavoir. They are the hired guns, tools really, of the private insurance lobby.

These fools are only happy when they can shriek, cat-call, jump up and down, and act like the fools that they are. These people do not have the right to take away MY rights of free assembly and free speech. If I attend a town meeting, it is to listen and learn about health care reform, not to witness these idiots waving banners and shouting scripted slogans.

Certainly, you and others who share your conservative ideas, have the right to speak.

What you DO NOT have is the right to invoke mob rule, facism, disruption, turmoil, harrassment, and intimidation in the process of exercising your rights to free speech. You do not have the right to deny others the right to exercise their own ‘rights’ in a civil, peaceful town meeting.

Everyone should read Peggy Noonan’s article in friday’s Wall Street Journal. Her analysis of how very misguided Obama and the Dems are on this health care issue is brilliant. She doesn’t go after the specifics of the bill itself because as she points out there are about four different versions in the works, all 1000 pages long and no one knows what will end up in the final version …including the president. Instead she points out how out of touch the Democrats are with the country and how Pelosi’s reaction to those angry town hall meetings is desperate, shrill and dangerously wrong.

Everyone should read Peggy Noonan’s article in friday’s Wall Street Journal. Her analysis of how very misguided Obama and the Dems are on this health care issue is brilliant. She doesn’t go after the specifics of the bill itself because as she points out there are about four different versions in the works, all 1000 pages long and no one knows what will end up in the final version …including the president. Instead she points out how out of touch the Democrats are with the country and how Pelosi’s reaction to those angry town hall meetings is desperate, shrill and dangerously wrong.

— katieG

Do you want us to trust her judgment when she said on NBC that she was voting for McCain and Palin because they were the best people for the jobs? I -as an independent- have to question her judgment.

You may be factually correct. It does not matter. What you implied is that because Pelosi or someone else did it is OK to turn a town hall into mob rules. The behavior is inexcusable and you were implying it is OK because of Pelosi.

I can not comment about something that is only available to Republican operatives.